April 01, 2025

April 1, 2025 -- Mark 10:17-22 -- Dear friend and dear friend yet to be

April 01, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Mark 10:17-22 ESV

This is an excerpt from a letter I wrote yesterday. The dear brother, currently incarcerated, who received it will recognize it was written to him. There is a dear friend who received a picture of these words as well. They know they are loved. They know the truth of these words. I hope and pray that others, you who are reading this who know me, recognize truthfulness in these words.

One way I disagree with Redemption Prison Ministry is the focus on clients. You
know me well enough to know that this is not know I operate. When I lead a Bible
Study or Overcomers I meet with those who are fellow image-bearers. What we—Christian or not—have in common is the fact that we are precious because we were
made by God. However, there is an additional layer of blessedness that of belonging to Jesus. If someone meets me at the friendship level of being an image-bearer, that is precious. God be praised, when I meet someone who is a fellow believer in Jesus, then the connection is so deep, so real. How sweet and blessed a treasure it is to meet someone else who loves God…to share a passion for Jesus is to immediately have a deep link with another person who has a passion for Jesus.

Why note this? Look at Jesus’s reaction to the Rich Young Man (RYM). He ran to Jesus. Jesus listened to Him. He was arrogant, thinking he’d kept all the laws and commands. Jesus was patient with him. He was far from God. The RYM displayed a knowledge about God, but not knowing Him relationally, personally. Look what the text says next, “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him” (Mark 10:21). Though the RYM turned away from Jesus, rejecting Him, Jesus loved him. It is possible for Jesus to love one who has been made in His image, but also ultimately to judge him worthy of death.

When a man, or a woman, knows himself to be deeply, and truly loved by God, that profound love spills over into genuine interest in, compassion toward, and hope-for-eternal-life for whomever he meets. The fact is, people are not addicts, manipulators, poor, liars, rich, sinners, saints, smart, dumb…people are image-bearers of God. Jesus didn’t meet potential clients. Potential members. He met those who were already bearing His image. He met people who did not realize the glory that being an image-bearer has already conferred on him. When you and I, as those embraced in the love of God, meet others we urgently want them to know God as we know God. When someone rejects us, like the RYM rejected Jesus, we are not crushed or rejected so much as we grieve for the one who misses the chance to know Jesus and His wondrous love.

The RYM went away sorrowful because he had great possessions. That is ironic. You realize that, right? The RYM had nothing because he did not have Jesus, Who alone is this world’s greatest treasure. Jesus is the only treasure that can be truly ours for all time. At the moment of death one is dropped through a trap door, falls six feet, not carrying anything with him, into eternity. Then, for the person who turned away from Jesus, eternity stretches out forever in the torments of hell. No wonder Christians have compassion for their enemies and tormentors and jailors and haters, because we know what horror is in store for them. It is beyond description. Those who in the life belong to Jesus, for them that six-foot drop into the grave is the gateway to eternity. Ah, such eternity, which is unhindered-anymore-by-lingering-sin grace that is imbued with a love that the Father Who made him, has for His beloved one. It will take the power of the Holy Spirit to hold us together and ever more fully equip us for the vastness of such pure love.
Is that what it’s like for you? Do you see people as nothing else but as image-bearers who need to be brought to Jesus and in Him transformed into a glory beyond description? That is the love that compels a Christian to reach out to others.

Glorious Father in heaven, blessed are You! Your steadfast love and mercy are treasure beyond compare. But You offer so much more. You show Yourself to be the Perfect Father. Thank You for the accomplished work of Jesus, Who proved for all to see, the unplumbed depths of Your patient love. Thank You for the Holy Spirit Who equips us, leaky and imperfect recipients of such goodness as we are, so that we can contain the love and mercy and grace You have for us. Majestic God of all that is good, drive us toward all those who are precious to You. Direct us to love fellow-image bearers with such willingness to be wounded for the sake of Jesus, that such men and women will be compelled to join us in calling You our Rock, our steadfast love, our Redeemer. Amen.

https://youtu.be/TxC16duiHvQ?si=wm37Z1hZxqNYflgc O Lord, My Rock and My Redeemer

March 30, 2025

March 30, 2025 -- Isaiah 58:13-14 -- The LORD's Day restored as delight

March 30, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,
from doing your pleasure on my holy day,
and call the Sabbath a delight
and the holy day of the LORD honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly;
then you shall take delight in the LORD,
and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Isaiah 58:13-14 ESV

In Genesis readers are instructed that God rested on the Sabbath, that is, the seventh day of creation. The LORD our Creator made the day to be a sanctuary in time. Time for God and His people to meet. Delighting in the Sabbath was designed so that inevitably by the observance of it people would delight in the LORD Himself.

In the New Testament the Sabbath is the first day of the week, Sunday. Why? It is the day Jesus rose from the dead. His sacrifice for sin was accepted by the Father in heaven. In Jesus Christ we have new life. We are a new creation. New Testament believers gathered on the new Sabbath, the LORD’s Day, the first day of the week: Sunday.

No wonder our world fights against the Sabbath-Sunday celebration. In the 1970’s and 1980’s Canadian culture systematically fought against the uniqueness of the day God had set apart. Stores were opened. Sporting leagues and ice rinks opened. Finally like in the time of Isaiah, economic, government and cultural forces intentionally defiled the Sabbath. It became a day for pursuing one’s personal pleasure. So, here we are today, delight in the Sabbath, and therefore delight in God Himself, the Giver of the day of rest and gladness is at an all-time low ebb.

We were never designed to go seven days a week. We were made to work, because work itself is both a gift from God and it is something He designed so there is pleasure in the execution of it. Additionally, He gave the day of Sabbath. Rest in Him as a delight. Stop from work. Stop from pursuing your own pleasure, your profit-chasing, your entertainment seeking. A day to realize everything you have and all you are is a gift from Him—your breath, your strength, your talents, your health, everything you are and are able to do is based on His grace to you.

Reclaim the day. Trust God to bless the day. More importantly, trust God that by honouring the Sabbath-Sunday, by attending church, reading your Bible, intentionally seeking Him out, He will do as He promised. He will bless you in the best way possible, by teaching you to delight in Him.

Father in heaven, when You saved Your people from Egypt, and later, once again, when You prepared them to enter the Promised Land, you gave the Ten Commandments. A central feature is the command to keep the Sabbath Day holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Jesus Himself honoured it by in His words and actions, restoring it to be a day of delight in You. By Your Spirit’s presence in me, teach me to delight in the LORD’s Day. Teach me what Jesus knew and modeled so that gracious Father, I will wholly delight in You on the LORD’s Day. Then I will find in You joy and strength, hope and soon salvation’s glad-hearted song will fill the rest of my days and nights. Amen.

https://youtu.be/ZLO9KJv0RlA?si=79fr8KM4sAebZmMQ O Day of Rest and Gladness

March 28, 2025

March 28, 2025 -- Philippians 3:12 -- To know Jesus

March 28, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
Philippians 3:12 ESV

The integrity of memorizing Scripture, and therefore seeing how it all hangs together, really proves itself in today’s verse. One chapter ago, 2:12, Paul urged the people of Philippi to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. Having been sanctified through Jesus Christ, helped by the Spirit they are to obey God in both will and work. In the last four verses Paul has been sharing his dedicated desire to leave all the things of this world which might entangle him and would prevent him from knowing Jesus and His resurrection power. He is confessing how far short he falls in that desire. He strives precisely because he has not obtained all of this.

He is communicating the already and not yet. In Christ Jesus we possess a righteousness not our own. That is already ours. We are shielded by His righteousness so that God sees us through the accomplished work of Jesus Christ. We are already righteous. However, you and I know we are not within ourselves acting in accordance with the righteousness that is our own. We are not yet living out the full righteousness that is ours in Christ. Since we are not yet perfectly in sync with the righteousness given us, we desire more of Christ. More of knowing Him. More of the Spirit to keep in step with Jesus, Who has proved Himself to be better than anything that the world could ever offer.

There is a translation that shows the wonderful verbal parallels which Paul made in the original language. “Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:12 NAS). Notice that Paul urgently desires to lay hold of Christ Jesus and through Him to obtain that perfection for which Christ took hold of him. It is Jesus’s prior hold and claim on him which drives Paul to desire Jesus.

“One who is full loathes honey, but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet” Proverbs 27:7 ESV. If you are already filled up with the things of this world, then the sweetest thing, (hearing the good news of Jesus Christ and laying hold on Him), is like eyeing dessert when you’ve already had to loosen your belt two notches to accommodate your overstretched full belly. You can’t do it. However, if you lay aside all the things which this earth says will satisfy you, (but as you already clearly know those things don’t ever satisfy you), and set aside all the sins that cling to you, you’ll find that knowing and serving Jesus is truly what your souls craves. He is already laying hold of you. That growing desire to know Jesus proves He has laid hold of you. But it does not yet fully possess all your thoughts and words and actions and desires. But the more you know Jesus, the more you want to know Him—the more you realize He has laid hold on you, the more you want to lay hold on Him and never let go.

Teach us, Good Lord, to serve You as You deserve; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labour and not ask for any reward, save that of knowing that we do Your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Adapted from: Divine Service Book for the Armed Forces, “FOR COURAGE”, 1950, page 34

https://youtu.be/dxpPg86cId4?si=1qLTgc1yZFsxjhOm I’d Rather Have Jesus — Selah

March 27, 2025

March 27, 2025 -- John 3:35-36 -- For God so loved the world. Now how will you respond?

March 27, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
John 3:35-36 ESV

You are likely so familiar with John 3:16 that I do not even need to quote it here. However, the text today is closely connected to it. The love of God that reaches people demands a response from every single person on this planet. Jesus Christ is the Father’s fullest and best demonstration of love. The love of the Father took on flesh, became human, and on Him is pinned all the hope of the world. In His hand is life and death. In the hand of the Son is either freedom from the wrath of God or the confirmation that the wrath of God remains on a man.

To say you believe means you have eternal life. That new life is birthed in you by the Holy Spirit. Everything changes. You who were adulterers, idolators, wicked, malicious, angry, greedy, insolent, and disobedient to parents, have been changed. People can say to you, “I remember when you did this. I remember when you acted in that way.” Your response is: “True. That is what I did, but in Christ I am a new creation, the old has passed away, the new life of Jesus has entered in.” How you act now is in sharp contrast to how you used to behave.

To say you believe means your whole way of living is transformed. What is the difference between a child of God and a son or daughter of the devil? It is evident in what a person obeys. If you obey the dictates of the world, if you say one thing, but by your life show something else, you are still under the condemnation of God. One day, when Jesus returns, you will face God’s justice and be thrown into hell. You may protest, “But I believed!”. Here is the truth. What you believe inevitably will show up in how you act.

You can say you believe God is your priority—but you avoid worship in church for sports, for shopping trips, for family times, for sleep. You prove you are your own priority. You can say Jesus is precious to you, but you do not care for widows and orphans in their distress, you ignore the cries of the poor and you don’t care about the immigrants in your land (all these people are, according to Scripture, the ones whom the Christian will care for, having been born again and taking up the same priorities God has). You can say you love Jesus, but your Bible is unread. You see, your actions reveal your core beliefs.

To say you believe in God means that you meditate on all His attributes. He is love. He is holy. He is good. He is just. He is patient. (He is so much more, but you get the idea.) Notice that His love does not override His justice. For love to have shape or meaning, it must be defined. There is a circle of those who are loved and respond to the love of God and another circle of those who are loved by God but those in that other circle hate Him. God demonstrates His love in this way: you have life from Him. You have breath from Him. You live in His beautiful world. You have food from Him. All your suffering is purposeful. You have joys that are courtesy of His goodness. You enjoy seasons as a sign of His blessing. Now, how will you respond? Those who believe in Jesus are so transformed by their gratitude to God. For believers all of life is a response of thanksgiving to Him. Those who want the presents from God, but not His presence, will seek to hoard the blessings but by their actions prove they hate the Giver of every good gift.

Do you believe in Jesus? How does you life prove this? How do your interactions with others, even your enemies, prove this?

Oh, God, my Father, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You. When I rise from my Bible reading, from times of prayer, let my belief in Jesus be proved by my interactions with people. Spirit of God, help me in every areas of my lfe, in every part of the day, to be utterly dedicated to Jesus. Amen.

https://youtu.be/9rZ8k9m2hwo?si=qb-3ISsjLDFtxvNo Give Me Jesus

March 26, 2025

March 26, 2025 -- II Corinthians 13:5-6 -- Examines yourselves to see whether are you in the faith

March 26, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
II Corinthians 13:5-6 ESV

John Wesley (1703-1791) was a minister, a hymn-writer, and a man with great missionary zeal, who was deeply devoted to Jesus. The list of questions you find below are ones he’d ask himself daily. These are also questions he’d ask his church members. They are penetrating! Certainly they’d fit the command of II Corinthians 13, calling for the believer to examine himself. Scripture itself demands that men and women do not merely intellectually assent to God, but to Him yield head and heart, will and work, yes every area of your life and all your planning. Since it is Jesus Who is our Reconciler and Redeemer, we confess all our wrongdoing to Him so that nothing will hinder our open, ever-growing, relationship with Him. Why confess this to Jesus? He is the way, the truth and life, no one approaches the Father except through Him. Look at the list of questions. As the Spirit shows you what needs to be confessed, go to prayer.

Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
Do I confidentially pass onto another what was told me in confidence? Can I be trusted?
Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
Did the Bible live in me today?
Do I give it time to speak to me everyday?
Am I enjoying prayer?
When did I last speak to someone about my faith?
Do I pray about the money I spend?
Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
Do I disobey God in anything?
Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
Am I defeated in any part of my life?
Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?
How do I spend my spare time?
Am I proud?
Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisee who despised the publican?
Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I going to do about it?
Do I grumble and complain constantly?
Is Christ real to me?
What temptations were you met with? How were you delivered?

O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting. Amen.
Psalm 139:1-3, 23-24 ESV

https://youtu.be/AgvIssCKkV4?si=dI5DBvavw1PZP7tE Shane & Shane - Psalm 139

March 25, 2025

March 25, 2025 -- Micah 6:8 -- Walk Humbly with God

March 25, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8 ESV

This verse is so familiar to me. I have preached on it many times. I have memorized it. But this morning I was listening to a Tim Keller podcast on the Fruit of the Spirit: goodness; and in that podcast Keller explained a key word in such a way that made this verse rich to me, all over again. The inspiration for this devotional blog comes entirely from this podcast.

What does it mean to walk with God? It is relationship and it is going somewhere, moving forward. Keller summarized it in these three ways.

Walking with God means your life is totally exposed to Him and you are totally accountable to Him. This in the context of being fully loved by God. His goodness was declared to you perfectly in Jesus Christ. His love for you was so perfectly demonstrated you can expose your worst sinfulness to Him in the confidence He is renewing you by the reconciling work of Jesus Christ.

You are a friend of God. In the Bible to walk with someone meant intimate friendship. To walk with God is to grow in intimacy through Bible reading and prayer; especially prayer which reveals the depths of your relationship.

You are progressing and changing. As you walk you go from your former state of sin, having been cleansed by Jesus, toward the increasing awareness of the goodness of God. The Spirit changes you. You grow in goodness reflecting the brilliance of God’s goodness and love.

LORD, Your steadfast love never ceases; Your mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Amen.
(Prayer is Lamentations 3:22-23)

https://youtu.be/eh0bj_tYX1U?si=t6H36bJYd1ABPm0b Great Is Thy Faithfulness

March 24, 2025

March 24, 2025 -- Philippians 3:8-11 -- Untitled

March 24, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Philippians 3:8-11 ESV

One of the reasons that reading little snippets of the Bible leads to difficulty is found here in our passage today. Taken all by itself, it sounds like Paul (and by extension we as Christians) have to do all the work. He is working to know Christ. He is counting all other things in life as rubbish. He is striving for the righteousness of God that is not his own. (Righteousness is making God’s way one’s own way. Righteousness is the desire and the ability to keep God’s law.) If that is your take-away today, welcome to exhaustion and frustration. But that is not what he is saying.

The broader context emphasizes first the fact that we are “partakers of grace” (Phil. 1:7). We are righteous because the work of Jesus Christ, His perfect and willing obedience to the Father has been credited to you and me when He was punished in our place for our sins. More than this, “it is God Who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). God, knowing the depths of our sins, the history of our every wicked deed, has provided salvation full and free in Jesus Christ. We rest in Him. We find our righteousness in Him.

Here is where the Sovereignty of God comes into play. He has fully, perfectly and finally, covered all our sins. We can not be more loved, more truly His beloved son or daughter than we are now. He has done all that is necessary. Now our part is response. We, as people who are utterly loved by God and totally set free from our sins, desire to walk in the freedom of Christ’s reconciling love. We realize we are by our out-of-alignment human nature inclined to walk right back into the sinfulness that is so familiar to us. So, God has done 100% of the work for us and our salvation. In view of that, Paul desires to contribute 100% of his effort to implement that salvation into every part of his being. He is already saved. But he knows he still sins. He is already alive in Christ. But he knows he will readily return to dead works of his sinful past. So, as he writes to the Philippians, he is preaching to his own soul, to will and to work for God’s good pleasure.

This is the confusion many have in the Christian life. They believe having been saved, things in this new life should be easier. Sin should look, well, less attractive. Temptations should like a cartoon arrow fast-full speed whistling right at us but smashing to a stop six centimeters away from us, as if we had an invisible force field shield of faith all around us. What Paul is teaching the Philippians, and all subsequent readers, is that God has done it. We are alive in Christ. Now, walk in the newness of life that is yours. Deliberately walk away from the sinful patterns. They are habits you used to automatically go towards, so they are hard patterns to break. Look to the example of Christ, see how fellow Christians, whom you admire, walk with God, and exercise this new body of faith and this new mind which is yours in Christ according to the pattern you see in Christ and His people. It is hard work. But you are not yet used to this new resurrection body. You are not used to having both the Spirit-fueled desire and the Spirit-filled ability to fight sin, so you do not instinctively call on the help that is available to you. Learn to ask God for the help He is so ready to give you.

God, our Gracious and Perfect Father, the Giver of every good gift, has designed suffering as well as resurrection power to be granted to you so that you will exercise this newness of life. As you try it out, you’ll be amazed how this new life in Christ suits you. The Spirit will help you learn how each part of your new life works and moves and can react in faith and power against sin. You’ll fail. Yep. So, confess it. You will choose wrongly. You know it. And the Spirit will redirect you so that, in resurrection power, you will with fear and trembling work out the gift of salvation already granted to you.

Father in heaven, thank You for the righteousness that is mine in Christ Jesus, my Lord. I confess this new life in Christ is still so new to me. Some aspects are still so foreign to me. I am easily led astray by the lying whispers of the devil who calls me back to more familiar habits and pitfalls. Holy Spirit, as is promised in the Word, grant me the will and the commensurate ability to work out God’s purposes for me so that in every part of my life Christ is glorified. The more I exercise my new mind and new body let it, as it was designed to do, more naturally and readily move at the impulses of Your love. Amen.

https://youtu.be/gVyWpfEY0Kc?si=lDujoX7elUWWXdde Take My Life and Let It Be
nb: the music starts at 1:33

March 22, 2025

March 22, 2025 -- Luke 18:40b - 43a -- Pause. Ask. What is your greatest need?

March 22, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

And when he came near, He asked him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed Him, glorifying God.
Luke 18:40b-43a ESV

Jesus, surrounded by a crowd of people, was nearing Jericho. A blind man inquired who was passing by. Learning it was Jesus, he shouted above the noises of the crowd asking for mercy from Jesus. It seems like an odd question Jesus asked the blind man. Isn’t it obvious? Jesus is both gentle and powerful. He invites the man to declare his need. (At another time, when Jesus was confronted by the paralytic, the greatest need the man had was the forgiveness of his sins. In addition, Jesus healed him.) It is not always obvious what a man or a woman needs.

Notice the absolute confidence Jesus has in His Father. The Father in heaven drew the blind man to Jesus. Whatever the man would need, the Father in heaven would give grace to Jesus to perform. Nothing more. Nothing less. Jesus does not take glory to Himself but humbly addresses the man as the advocate between man and God.

Jesus performs a miracle as he takes note of the man’s faith. Look at the faith of the formerly blind man. When His sight was granted him, he followed Jesus and glorified God. This is instructive. The man is not seeking a miracle for personal gain. He is not seeking the miracle so that he can do his own thing. Not a chance. Granted his physical sight confirms his spiritual clear-sightedness. The formerly blind man was spiritually seeing, knowing God and believing His power, and though physically blind he was trusting God’s purposes.

What is the great need of your heart? What do you believe is the great need of your life? If you were to obtain it would that result in you following Jesus even more closely and glorifying God? If the answer is no, reconsider your request. Lay aside any weight, any hindrance that would interfere with your whole-hearted allegiance and obedience to God. If there is something in your life now, which you possess, and it is hindering your walk with God, get rid of it. Nothing is as valuable as a life dedicated to the Living God which is lived in obedience to Jesus your Savior and this through the power of the Holy Spirit working in you.

Glorious Father, Your word declares “it is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man”. By the powerful working of Your Spirit in me, help me to truly see myself and discern if I am trusting in anything, or in any one other person, more than Jesus Christ. Oh LORD, if as the Scriptures promise, You are on my side, and You ARE! Then I know I will not be afraid to yield complete submission to You. Amen. (Quotation Psalm 118:8)

https://youtu.be/svWaaVbOQps?si=y3Liw7p7bvprk9G2 Come Thou Fount (Above All Else)

March 21, 2025

March 21, 2025 -- Philippians 3:8 -- The surpassing worth of knowing Jesus

March 21, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ…
Philippians 3:8 ESV

The author of Hebrews wrote “let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1b). Notice that there are both weights and sins which can interfere with our fullest dedication to Jesus. Paul is, I believe, emphasizing the same here. He is focused on the weights that can keep a man from being utterly dedicated to God (it is obvious that our sins would implode the relationship). What is the goal—in Hebrews, here in Philippians and through-out the whole Bible? It is to grow closer to Jesus and to know Him as our life’s greatest treasure.

Weights are things in life that might interfere with our complete dedication to serving Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians while he was in prison. He had the basics he needed for life, but not much more. He was used to good things. Excellent things. He was raised with many privileges (which he spelled out earlier in this chapter). Such privileges are not in and of themselves good or bad. The question is, would he rely on such things rather than relying on God. Now that question touches your life. Do you rely on things more than you rely on God? RRSP. A healthy balance in your bank account. Friends. Your job. Your reputation. So many things can be okay, but the moment these begin to be more important than your dedication to Jesus, they are a weight.

Paul was stripped of everything while he was in prison. Even so, he looks back at his life and his present circumstances and does not complain at what he is missing. No! He looks at his life and realizes he can suffer the loss of all things and be filled to overflowing with the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus. In fact, Jesus tops all things. Knowing Jesus is not just above all things life has to offer, He, Christ Jesus my Lord, is super above all such things. Rich or poor. Sick or healthy. Celebrated or considered contemptable by the world—knowing Jesus is far greater and far better.

If anything is holding you back from God, it is counted as rubbish. Older translations used the word ‘dung’ in the place of rubbish. If something is infiltrating your thoughts or taking slivers of time away from whole-hearted devotion to and love for God, then such things are like stepping into a fresh, steaming, mushy pile of dog poop while for the first time wearing your brand new shoes. It is repulsive. It is gross. Anything that hinders your walk with God is not only to be avoided, but also to be hurled away from you.

Do you know Christ this way? Is your walk with Him intimate like this? It is one thing to know of Him intellectually. It is entirely another to be devoted to Him. It is one thing to politely add Him to your schedule, a little prayer here, a little Bible reading there, a friendly donation to a poor person over there before your day advances towards the work you really need to do. To know Jesus is to have Him rock Your world. His priorities are yours. His commands are your joy to fulfil. His battered reputation you gladly take to yourself and share in the ignominy of Christ rather than take any pleasure in the accolades of the world. If you do not find that level of commitment in yourself, I urge you, find a Christian whose walk with God you admire and learn from him or her. I ask you with all urgency, sit down and reread Philippians—start to finish. Ask yourself this question: “Why does Paul express his devotion to Jesus this way?” Read and learn. Get connected with a local church where Jesus is not a slogan or a means of getting what you want, but where He is so honored and adored the members would give up anything counting such as rubbish in view of the super lifted up privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord.

Oh, give thanks to the LORD; call upon His Name;
     make known His deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
     tell of all His wondrous works!
Glory in His holy Name;
     let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
Seek the LORD and His strength;
     seek His presence continually!
Psalm 105:1-4 ESV

https://youtu.be/R8mLTdQQXg4?si=O_H88nQ1tq6G4L00 Psalm 16 (Fullness of Joy)

March 19, 2025

March 19, 2025 -- Philippians 3:1-7 -- Jesus is the Prize

March 19, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.
2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
Philippians 3:1-7 ESV

Look at the contrast presented here in our passage today. False teachers are trying to talk Christians back into the observations of Old Testament Jewish people. Mutilating the flesh referred to circumcision. Paul, the author of Philippians is putting a stop to all such nonsense. He shows why if anyone could boast in his accomplishments, it’d be him. He had all the necessary credentials of a Jewish man. What does that gain him? Nothing.

He counted all these things, his Jewish heritage, his fleshly circumcision, his high standing as a Pharisee etc., as loss. They were less than nothing. Why? Because no man, no matter how good he is, no matter how much he does, can ever gain favour with God through his own merits. Anything that we do is worthless when placed next to the perfections of Jesus. Today there are mega-rich people who seek worldly recognition because they give away billions or undertake noble causes. They aren’t gaining anything from God by doing these things.

In the parables, Jesus is the pearl of greatest price (Matthew 13:45-46). Belonging to Jesus is greater than all the riches of the world. Belonging to Jesus is better than status or fame or possessions. If you don’t believe it, you have not really understood your own brokenness, wretched sinfulness and helplessness before God. If, however, you are beginning to grasp the greatness of Jesus’s extravagant love for you, then you will cling to Him. Knowing Him means you are prepared to renounce any treasure, any prize, or any thing that would interfere with devoting yourself more fully to Him. Why?

The sinner is not even aware of how blind he is. The saint sees the beauty of Jesus.
The sinner is not even aware how foolish his thoughts are. The saint knows God’s thoughts are higher than his thoughts and by the Spirit such thoughts are wise unto Jesus.
The sinner is not even aware how utterly poverty-stricken his worldview is. The saint knows enduring the loss of all earthly things to have Christ is treasure beyond measure.
The sinner is not even aware how fickle the approval of others is. The saint is aware of the depths of God’s unreserved love that lifts him from damnation and keeps being showered on him until life’s end and then is shown to be perfect through-out eternity.

Father in heaven like a child who holds a broken toy close as if it is precious while refusing the proffered gift of priceless diamonds, so we cling to worthless things. By the powerful presence of Your Spirit help us to understand the breath-taking gift of Jesus and so exchange all in order to belong to Him, follow Him, and find in Him our all in all. Spirit of God, peel our fingers off of the worthless things we’re clutching so that instead we will take hold of Jesus with all we have and all we are. Amen.
https://youtu.be/9rZ8k9m2hwo?si=GICx53jDZuy16ugH Give Me Jesus

March 18, 2025

March 18, 2025, reprint from one year ago -- Psalm 27:1-3 -- Three Pillars

March 18, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked advance against me to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.
Psalm 27:1-3 ESV

There are three pillars to this Psalm. The first is the Light of the LORD—in the New Testament we know Him to be Jesus (John 8:12). He illuminates our broken, sinful condition. He Himself is the Light that leads us who have been cleansed by His blood to the Father. He is light, so powerful enemies scatter before Him—like creeping things and shade-loving bugs under a rock when exposed to the light—so the once fearsome seeming hosts will take off.

The second pillar is knowing our God as our Stronghold. There are so many forces arrayed against the Christian. It is like an army mounting attack after attack. The stronghold in the life of the Christian is the knowledge that in life and in death, in riches or in poverty, in sickness and in health, in joyful circumstances and under tremendous pressures, God Himself is the strength of His people. Our circumstances don’t dictate our level of joy or sorrow, our connection with the Living God is our lifeline. Our stronghold will never crumble in the face of enemy attack. Jesus has won the victory. He is the Captain of Salvation—those who follow Him know the Day of Victor is near at hand.

The final pillar is the confidence that believers will see the goodness of the LORD. Such confidence is based in Christ, in Whom we have a new family—stronger than the bonds of blood relatives—we have brothers and sisters in Christ who have our back. In fact, Psalm 27 ends with these words: “I believe I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the Living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” (Psalm 27:13-14).

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, in Whom we live and move and have our being, Who has created us for Yourself, so that we can find rest only in You; grant to us such purity of heart and strength of purpose, that no selfish passion may hinder us from knowing Your will, no weakness from doing it; but in Your light may we see light clearly, and in Your service find perfect freedom; for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
“For all Occasions” from DIVINE SERVICE BOOK FOR THE ARMED FORCES, 1950

https://youtu.be/uBLp_M5FfbI?si=pExtmgwa-x1m0iuL “Man of Sorrows” Celtic Worship

March 17, 2025

March 17, 2025 -- Philippians 3:2-3 -- Look out for the dogs

March 17, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh…
Philippians 3:2-3 ESV

Wow has Paul’s tone changed. The previous verse he wrote calling the people to rejoice in the Lord. Now he is stridently warning the people to look out for the false teachers. He is not wildly firing off words. “In the eyes of the Jews, Gentiles were dogs, ritually unclean animals, not to be associated with, devoid of divine blessings. Paul is saying ‘These false teachers, with their Jewish teachings have so distorted the truth of the gospel that they have become like Gentile unbelievers, since they do not appreciate that our salvation is found totally in Jesus Christ’.” (Sinclair Ferguson, Let’s Study Philippians, p. 71)

Evildoers are those who may at first appear to be right and proper but on closer examination of the fruit of their teaching and the fruit of their lifestyle proves them to be workers of lawlessness (Matthew 7:23). Mutilators of the flesh are those who taught that it was necessary for a man to be circumcised. That was Old Testament law. It is not required now. The heart is circumcised, not the flesh.

Notice the attributes of those who in Christ are the true circumcision. They worship by the Spirit of God—which is the fulfilment of Jesus’s words to the Samaritan woman at the well. “The time is coming and, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” John 4:24. No longer are men and women required to travel to Jerusalem for the worship of God. No longer do believers have to follow the Old Testament ritual laws related to sacrifice for the New Covenant is here.

The true believers, those who are now the true circumcision, glory in Christ Jesus. They belong to Him and find in Him all joy and all their blessedness. He is the perfect fulfilment of the Old Testament laws. Believers glory in Christ Jesus precisely because He is all their righteousness. He is the One Who stood in our place. Believers glory in Him because salvation is complete, perfect in Christ.

The clear teaching is that you and I don’t have to rely on any act of our own to become saved. Jesus has done it all. We are saved through the accomplished work of Jesus. Anyone who is saved, serves freely, with joy and in the reverent fear of the Lord. No one should ever get proud or think to himself I have contributed to my salvation. The work of salvation has all been done completely and totally by Jesus. Now we recognize it is God Who works in us both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). Our glorious God changes us so completely that serving Him is our desire and our joy. We are freed from our past. We are freed from the punishment our sins deserved. Now, in that freedom, we glory in Christ Jesus.

Life will be hard. Glory in Christ Jesus. Satan will throw all kinds of things at you. Glory in the salvation which is yours in Christ Jesus. False teachers will come and try to put you back into slavery to old ways and wrong teachings, they seek to have power over you. Worship by the Spirit of God. Don’t fall prey to any of the schemes of the devil or false teachers. No matter the circumstances, no matter the hardship, know that God is at work in you. By His Spirit He is using everything that happens in your life to make You ever more perfectly His image-bearer. What we can’t understand now will in eternity be the hammer strokes and fine chisel work which revealed the gloriousness of His patient activity in us.

Father in heaven when I am tempted to run or feel too weak to stand up against all that is happening in my life, give me the strength that is found through Your Spirit Who lives in me. Hold me in place so that the full glory of Christ Jesus and His accomplished salvation will be applied to me and applied everywhere within me. Put spiritual steel into my will accompanied by boldness so that I will live out this wonderful salvation Father, to the glory and praise of Your Name. Amen.

https://youtu.be/1b25rfn6J48?si=6L_InQf4wTh9HdOD I Stand Amazed in the Presence

March 15, 2025

March 15, 2025 -- Philippians 3:1 -- What is safe for you

March 15, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.
Philippians 3:1 ESV

For those who are memorizing, by constant repetition of sentences like this, will no doubt find themselves stumbling over these words. They seem out of place. He says finally but he goes on for two chapters; how can this be finally? It highlights the problem of the chapter break. Paul had just written he would send Epaphroditus back to the Philippians. Finally they would see him. More importantly, they are urged to rejoice in seeing him, but their greater joy is always joy that is anchored in Jesus Christ.

Paul also picks up the theme of rejoicing even as he transitions into a new section of his letter. He’d written how he’d rejoice, even if he is to be poured out in Christian service to the Philippians. Now he is urging the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord as they prepare for the hard road ahead of them.

Paul is writing about rejoicing in the Lord, despite false teachers and those who preach Christ out of envy and rivalry. He is distinguishing what is safe for the people who receive this letter. The word safe means something that can be relied on, something that is firm. When a believer confronts heresy, false doctrine, or even doctrine that seems mostly true, he is on solid ground. In fact, helping the young-in-the-faith members of the Philippian church distinguish truth from falsehood is one of the reasons why Paul wrote this letter.

He makes a distinction between those within the church who are disputing (when he entreats Euodia and entreats Syntyche to agree in the Lord) and those who are heretical. Sometimes the heresy can be hard to detect. Think of those who are preaching from false motives. The Lord sees the heart. He knows those who are submitted to Him and walking in His ways over against those who seem to be His but are in fact building up their own ego and their own following.

On the Day of Judgment Jesus He will judge the wicked but also His own people:
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day
many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast
out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And
then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers
of lawlessness.’
Matthew 7:21-23 ESV
Ask yourself, on what are you basing your confidence in the Lord? Are you paying lip service to Him but doing what you want? Are you saying you serve Him, but praying for Him to do what you want so that your service to Him is manipulation, not submission? Are you on the one hand calling out to God and telling others what the Bible says, all the while choosing what you will believe and what you will discard? Either the Bible is true, completely cover to cover true, and nothing can be added to it or subtracted from it, or it is a book you are treating like a smorgasbord, picking what you like and leaving off your plate what you don’t. That is not safe for you. It will lead to estrangement from God.
Father in heaven, thank You for those who are faithful to You. In New Testament times, the followers of Jesus and those whom the Spirit prompted to write the Bible. Thank You that in our era You have appointed faithful Bible readers who follow Jesus as well as those who are teachers and preachers. Such leaders who rejoice in the Lord and speak the word with boldness so that it is safe for those who hear it. Spirit of God, show me where I am manipulating the word, or appearing to be submissive while doing what I want, or am cherry-picking what to believe and what to leave. Spirit lead me so that I rejoice in the Lord in all humble service to Him and Him alone and this unto the glory of the Father. Amen.

https://youtu.be/cY6k2QhdCn0?si=UUCQPPnkNHqPIEST How Firm a Foundation

March 13, 2025

March 13, 2025 -- Philippians 2:25-27 -- Sent in holy service

March 13, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier and your messenger and minister to my need, for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God has mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
Philippians 2:25-27 ESV

Brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ look at the cost of Christian service. When the Spirit of the Lord directs a man to go in holy service he leaves his loved ones. Travel today is much easier than it was in Paul’s day. Today we have faster, better means of communication. Even so, being separated by distance is true separation. Sometimes travel is not even involved, caring for the person God puts into your life will disrupt your usual friendships and routine.

Epaphroditus expended himself in service to Jesus Christ. He loved his fellow church members at Philippi. He loved Paul. To spend time with one meant he had to be separated from the others. The journey cost him his health and nearly cost him his life.

Dear family in Christ, when Jesus calls you to serve Him, it will cost you dearly. It might be the dangers of travel. It might drain you financially. It might be your reputation that nose-dives because you choose Jesus and associating with His people above everything else. It might be your health that suffers greatly. It might be coping with the misunderstanding of your loved ones who ask why are you going, don’t you love us? It will mean the separation from dear ones to open your heart, time and schedule to those who need you but would otherwise have been crowded out by your current loved ones. It might be many combinations of the sacrifices mentioned above, or others.

Epaphroditus touches me. He is dearly loved by Paul. He is no doubt loved by Paul’s fellow missionary, and son in the faith, Timothy. He is dear to the people at Philippi. At great cost to his own personal safety, in devotion to Jesus, he goes and serves. I must ask you this, where is the Spirit of Jesus sending you? Where has He already sent you, but you are resisting? Are you resentful like a horse straining against the reins and nearly falling back on its haunches unwilling to accept the lead?

Father in heaven thank You for emptying heaven of the treasure of Jesus, the truest minister to our need, the best messenger. Spirit of the Living God, conquer our hearts so that we will not be resentful, straining against Your direction. Holy Spirit gentle our souls with the endless love of Jesus. So strengthened in Christ we are prepared to go where You send, meet whomever You put into our lives, pay whatever its costs in Your service. Triune God, thank You, that in such service we can never outgive You. Amen.

https://youtu.be/Bmswv0WolYQ?si=k1k576NU92OoXpVX Here I am

March 12, 2025

March 12, 2025 -- Luke 8:15 -- The Seed of the Word and Your Hearing Heart

March 12, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
Luke 8:15 ESV

You are perhaps familiar with the Parable of the Sower. The seed fell onto three kinds of soil that ultimately do not bear lasting fruit. The good soil, as is referred to in our text today, represents the heart that is prepared to hear God. Look at the way in which the word of God is received.

They hear the word. Ever talked with someone who nodding quickly, impatiently, is just waiting to speak at you? They’re not listening. They are so full of themselves there is no room for them to hear you? The good soil Jesus spoke of is the soul in which the seed of the word can germinate, grow, get strong and bear fruit. Good soil represents a man with ears that are open, eagerly listening to the Word. No back talk. Not sifting the word to say I’ll take this, but not that, accept that and let you know another part is too hard. Nope. The man, the woman, the child hears and receives it. All of it.

They hold the word fast. Fast means tightly. It is precious. It is hard to understand, but they hold onto it until they have mentally chewed on it. Spent time figuring out what it means. They do so with an honest heart. Simply, an honest heart can also be translated as a beautiful heart. A heart is designed to receive the word of God. When it refuses the word of God, it is not fulfilling the function for which it was created, like using a butter knife to tighten a screw. That butter knife twists and warps because it is not doing what it was made to do. So honest can also be translated as beautiful. It is beautiful precisely because it is doing what it was made to do. There is an elegance in that.

There is a second descriptive word: good. That is, a heart holding fast the word is made good by the Spirit of God. That is a heart that has torn itself away from the trampling peers, or short-lived enthusiasm until the next interesting thing comes along, or a heart that had the word but dropped it when trouble shook him. A good heart is steady, no matter what else is going on the heart of this man, he turns to the word. The Spirit has prepared the soil. The Spirit has opened your ears. Now, will you stay focused on the word? Will you hold it tightly to yourself, or will you let it go in view of all the other things happening in your life?

Bear fruit with patience. When I was a child, I was fascinated with seeds and plants. I’d have little containers, and little plastic cups with soil and various seeds. Tomato seeds, green peppers, seeds readily available after fresh food has been prepared. In my enthusiasm, remember I was young, occasionally I’d dig up little seeds to see if they were germinating. Guess what. That is not a good idea!

Bearing with patience is allowing the germinating seedling to show itself. It will rise above the soil when it is ready. Prior to germination, to human eyes, the seed is not doing anything. Inside the soil the seed is working as it should. It takes time. That is why patience is required. We want things, NOW. Instant. My needs. My wants. My limited time frame. But the word of God shows us something about the pace of God. He has all the time in the world. He will show us that He works as the Master, not the servant. He will allow various seeds to germinate at just the right time so that the fruitfulness will be evident for His good purposes. Can you wait on God? Can you keep on receiving the word and trust Him for the results?

Perhaps you’re neglecting your Bible reading because you think the word is too slow at doing what you think it should (stop being a little child digging up and examining the seed in the soil and give it time to germinate).

Perhaps you are neglecting your Bible reading because you think you’re too busy, too much to do. That is the strategy of the devil, to keep you so distracted, so off-balance that you do not turn to the one source of help that will yield true and lasting benefit to your life.

Perhaps you are neglecting your Bible reading because you are like a butter knife hovering over a screw. You are not doing what you were made to you. Repeatedly you are trying the same things over again but getting the same bad result. Turn to the word. Let it spread over your heart and get deep in there.

Today, read the word. Make a plan to read tomorrow as well. Decide in advance what you’re going to read the next day, so that you don’t waste time thinking, what should I read next?

Pray. Ask God to give you the patience you need so that the word of God, sown into your heart, will have time to germinate, grow and produce fruit.

Faithful Father, Your word declares:
For as the rain and snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Slow me down enough to receive the word. Daily. Make me wiser than a little child so that I will trustingly wait until I see the effects of Your word in my life. Accomplish in me, what You purpose. Amen.

Quotation: Isaiah 55:10-11 ESV

March 11, 2025

March 11, 2025 -- Proverbs 11:5-8 -- Can you really tell the difference between the wicked and the righteous?

March 11, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit’s power: Sh’ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight,
    but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
    but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.
7 When the wicked dies, his hope will perish,
    and the expectation of wealth perishes too.
8 The righteous is delivered from trouble,
    and the wicked walks into it instead.
Proverbs 11:5-8 ESV

A careful reading of this passage quickly reveals that sinfulness makes a man stupid. It would be too easy to say this applies to unbelievers and the ‘unwashed masses’ outside the church. To that I’d say, not so fast! Who reads the Bible? Christians. Do non-Christians and non-believers rush to their devotions each day? Nope. They do not. Let that sink in. By these words God is warning His people so that they will not be deceived into thinking they’re fine.

Listen carefully to the words of Jesus “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’.” Matthew 7:21-23 ESV. Be shocked. Jesus will not dispute that they did great things. But he will convict them for doing such things in deceitful pride. They used the precious name of Jesus for their own ends, not for His glory.

It is important to note that it is not my words, but the Bible, which proves wickedness and sin make a man foolish to the point of blindness that leads to hell. At verse 5, the righteous and the wicked may both appear to be good, but one day, or perhaps not until the at the judgment seat of Jesus, the wickedness of the wicked will be exposed and appropriately and ruinously punished in hell. The righteous and the wicked, verse 6, both struggle with lust (desires of the flesh, desires for the worldly things, desires for power and money and so on). But the righteous are delivered from these by their righteousness. It is the righteousness that comes from Jesus Christ. His work at the cross and His reconciling blood are all the righteousness of the believer. The wicked man faces the same lusts and temptations and is stupid. He falls, over and again into the very same pit of his desires and will not recognize his sin, nor genuinely leave it. No, he will bring it as a stench unto the judgment seat where from he will be thrown into hell, never to rise again.

Verse 7 is clear, ultimately wicked people, who seemed to get away with all their sins, either in among the community of the saints, or those who appear virtuous in the eyes of the world, will be so horrifically exposed, that their death dashes all their plans. All their vile schemes are proved to be empty and worthless. The righteous are not even mentioned in this verse because they, protected by the fear of the LORD, have been kept safe from all of this. Presented with the very same sins and lusts and brokenness of the wicked, they have recognized sin, hated it, and turned away from it. Not so the wicked. The self-deceived wicked will be found out. They face eternal damnation.

What a direct verse 8 is, the righteous and the wicked face trouble. In fact, the blasé word trouble means distress, vexation. In the Old Testament the same word is applied to the constant nagging of a rival wife who knows she is unloved and makes the life of her husband and the other woman to be misery. Dear believer, vexations and hounding troubles afflict both the righteous and the wicked. A righteous man is given clarity. He will learn from the word of God, be guided by the Spirit so that he can walk through the valley of the shadow of death. He knows of, and he holds to, the promises that God will deliver him from his deep distress. The wicked, even those who seem to be holy and good and in church, will foolishly, stupidly, walk right into the same heartbreak and wretchedness repeatedly.

I urge you to consider the word of the LORD with all self-searching seriousness. Do not toy with Christianity and play at the edges of faith in Jesus. For today, or at the judgment seat of Jesus the righteous and the wicked will be judged and what shock and surprise and horror await the self-deceived wicked person who thought and acted and lived as though he were righteous. He was merely proud of himself and his achievements. Such pride will lead to the fall from which he can never recover.

God, by Your Spirit shine the light of the word so that it penetrates the depths of my mind and my motives. Expose whatever is wicked. Enable me to see all my wickedness, hate it, turn from it and confess it. Father, thank You for the righteousness that is mine through Jesus Christ, for He alone is my boast and my life. Raise up in my life a Christian who will be unrelenting, joining me in this pursuit of righteousness, so that no sin, no cloying evil that masquerades as good will be allowed to take root in us. Lead us, ever deeper and more gloriously, into the deliverance that is ours in Christ. Amen.

https://youtu.be/-44GH3NhdIA?si=8BHn3IUbidsNJYNV I Asked the Lord that I Might Grow

March 10, 2025

March 10, 2025 -- Philippians 2:8-11 -- Fall in worship

March 10, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father.
Philippians 2:8-11 ESV

Credit where credit is due. The inspiration for the following illustration came from listening to a Tim Keller podcast.

You’ve seen it, right? People who meet their hero, say a great hockey player, and they lose their ability to speak coherently. Sometimes there is a half bow, or a nod of the head because of the raw talent endlessly honed into great ability. Such ability is appropriately humbling to us. In the presence of such perfection, we realize our limits our imperfections and our unwillingness to do what it takes to achieve greatness. Infinitely more, Jesus is greater. More glorious. More perfect. More honed in His perfections. And in awestruck wonder believers and non-believers will bow before the Greatest One. His excellences, His flawlessness-in-human-form causes us, inferior, sinful, having many imperfections people to fall down in appropriate adoration.

Look at the extent of His exaltation. Every knee in heaven will bow. The angels that from the moment of creation have worshipped will now bend their knees. Their great power pales before His Almighty power. Angels that longed to look into such things as to why Jesus would take on flesh, who did not understand salvation because it is only humans who needing Jesus’ salvation can understand it. So angels will bow in astonishment at the completed wonder of salvation. All the people on earth. All who have ever lived. All the people who were dead and buried and raised will instantaneously fall in adoration of Jesus.

Angels and demons, God-haters and Jesus worshipers, great and small, all will bow before Jesus. His greatness will be so openly revealed that none can withstand His superlative excellencies, and they will before such limitless purity feel themselves to be lost in wonder which leads them to bow. This is what you, dear believers must contemplate. This is your King. This is Him Who is all-excellent. If you lose everything you ever owned, ever had, and all your reputation, but you have Jesus, you are rich beyond measure.

Father in heaven just and true are all Your ways! Great is Your unstoppable love presented to us in Jesus Christ. Blessed Savior, teach me to meditate on You as the radiant ambassador of the Father’s great love. You are the most-excellent one Who would not allow anything to hinder Your work of reconciling wretchedly sinful humans to God through Your precious blood. What cost. What depths of obedience. What a Savior You are! Spirit of God, it is tempting to look away. Greatness makes us want to turn, immediately seeking something less difficult to contemplate than our abject neediness and the superlative worthiness of Christ. But we pray You, hold us in the grip of grace and love until our stubborn hearts break, enthralled by such incomprehensible excellencies and our lives gush with wonder, praise, and love for Jesus, and this to the glory and praise of God the Father. Amen.

https://youtu.be/ohxSXsVgV-A?si=s5YSt0bHbJ66bsRc What Wondrous Love is This

March 09, 2025

March 9, 2025 -- Philippians 2:25 -- Who is your Epaphroditus?

March 09, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need…
Philippians 2:25 ESV

When I started memorizing this section of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, I was thinking how time-bound it is. How is it relevant to me, today, in 2025? I mean, it is obvious that Paul was blessed by the messenger who had been sent by the little Philippian congregation. Epaphroditus traveled, risking his safety, and brought to him their financial gift and news of how the people were doing. While it is true the people at Philippi sent Epaphroditus to Paul, it is even more accurate, truth really, to note it was God Himself to sent Epaphroditus. Realizing this, the passage broke open.

I think of the man who does so much here in Moncton, Alan, volunteering with Redemption Prison Ministry. He prepares the prayer prompter and bulletin each week for our Wednesday Chapel. He is often driving here and there, bringing various people under the care of RPM to meetings, appointments, or out for a social event. He visits people during the week. Prays for the ministry, and with Fay, prays for me and Carolyn, their brother and sister in Christ. He and Fay are fellow workers. They long for the gospel of Jesus Christ to be brought to all whom God would bring into our path. They have opened their home on Sunday mornings for Chapel Services and Wednesday evenings for supper and then a chapel/bible study. Fay has endless recipes for wonderful suppers on Wednesdays. There are always special desserts, made from recipes she has collected from various people. Fay makes sure any left-over food and desserts are always sent home with our attendees.

God has presented me with fellow soldiers. At critical times in my life there are men whom God has raised up and who, by their presence and help, I know I have fellow soldiers. Gabe is my accountability partner. He can, and often does, ask me anything about my walk with God. What a blessing. I have known him for more than twenty years and though we are separated by many miles, God has blessed us so that we stay in contact through texting and calls. Over the last two days, a new friend, Stephen, was to me and my traveling companion, Devon, a fellow soldier. I was committed to going to Grand Falls on Friday. The weather would say otherwise. Stephen met me and my fellow traveler in Woodstock. I was done. The roads were bad. Despite the snow (which already since the mid-way point of travel to Woodstock) was blowing through the air, and drifting over the highways, he met us. He had his truck with AWD, warmed and ready, and he drove to Grand Falls while we stayed warm, safe and blessed by his ministry. On Saturday, having brought me back to Woodstock, he sheltered me and then re-arranged his schedule so that he could, through bad weather, once again, bring me this time to Edmundston where I could minister to a young man.

On Saturday morning, before we headed out, he prepared breakfast. Stephen hosted two people who minister to his needs, and have often ministered to mine, Paul and Joyce. A lovely couple living in Woodstock; they have been prayer warriors and dear friends. They are a couple who minister to the needs of many.

There are many others, like David, who regularly call to encourage me. People near and far who read the prayer prompter and pray. Others who have contributed financially to RPM, the national office. Others who contribute to the local needs here in Moncton, through the Redemption Prison Ministry Moncton - Mercy Fund. Still others who have brought food for Wednesday night suppers.

At various critical times and through unexpected people, God has sent His messengers. There are men, who I’d love to mention, who know who they are, who are God’s messengers to me. (Privacy concerns forbid me to publicize their names.) Men who have depression but courageously show up for Bible study anyway. A man who is memorizing (and is way in the distance ahead of me in his memorization). A man who, though previously never a letter-writer, suddenly has become eloquent in the Lord and is writing frequent letters. There are many others who minister to me and who minister to Carolyn and me as a couple.

Who is the Epaphroditus God has raised up in your life? The brother, the fellow worker, the fellow soldiers, those who minister to your needs. I urge you to spend time blessing God for the mercy He has shown you through the service of these men and women. Bless Jesus, Who is ultimately the great elder brother, your fellow worker (see: I Corinthians 3:9.) Who soldiers side by side with you in the gospel ministry? Who ministers to your need? Bless God in prayer with thanksgiving. It is the Spirit of God Who raises up such people so that in unity with God and with fellow Christians you can serve with gospel power.

Glorious Father in heaven, You do all things well. By Your Spirit’s work in me, give me recall so that I will recognize and acknowledge with thanks before You those who You’ve sent to minister to me. Thank You, above all, for Jesus Christ, to Whom, by their work and ministry, all those messengers of the gospel bear witness. Amen.

https://youtu.be/h89-3_kIRDA?si=N6mgO5m31NWsc2pg Your Love Broke Through

March 07, 2025

March 7, 2025 -- Philippians 2:19-24 -- I have no one like Jesus

March 07, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.
Philippians 2:19-24 ESV

Prison is clarifying. When you’re in prison those who were your friends because they can get something from you, or are friends because you are useful to them, or are fair weather friends, leave. Paul is in prison. Timothy stuck by him. No wonder Paul can write of his proven worth. What kind of friend are you? At the first sign of trouble do you leave your friends? Will you remain a friend when the other person fails, badly? Will you remain a friend through betrayals?

Jesus describes Himself as our Friend (John 15:14-15). What a statement that is. He knows all His disciples will abandon Him, one will betray Him, another will deny Him. Yet He endured. In fact, He suffered, was condemned and then crucified. All His disciples scattered for the trial which condemned innocent Jesus. Peter, in the courtyard where the trial was taking place vehemently denied Jesus. Called a curse on himself rather than acknowledging Jesus. John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, did not even stand with Peter and call him out and help keep him steady in Christ. He was silent as Jesus was slandered. After His resurrection on the third day, Jesus sought out His disciples. They’d locked themselves in a room, because they were afraid of the authorities. He approached them. He spoke healing peace to them. He showed Himself to be the true friend Who sticks closer than a brother.

The life of a Christian is compelling precisely because a Christian friend is a true friend who stands by you through the worst life has to offer. A Christian friend has the courage to tell you to your face when you are wrong and still loves you. Post betrayal a Christian friend is still prepared to meet with you. A Christian friend, like Jesus, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (I Corinthians 13:7). Your Christian friend is not gullible nor participating in your wrongdoing. It is the Christian friend who believes no matter how broken the situation is now, how ruined things are, it is in the power of and for the God to repair it, or to use the pain and suffering for your instruction and that too is for His glory.

Father in heaven how vast and high and wide and deep is Your love for me. It is almost too hard to really sit with and meditate on it. My sin and wretchedness, my betrayals and rebellion against You, punished on the Person of Jesus so that I can be called Your beloved child. Thank You for the clearest demonstration of Your love which has been openly declared to me through Jesus Christ. Thank You for the presence of Your Spirit Who lives in me as a believer and Who continually instructs me in the love of Jesus that wells up in me to eternal life. Amen.

March 04, 2025

March 4, 2025 -- Philippians 2:17-18 -- How do suffering and rejoicing mix?

March 04, 2025/ Richard T. Vander Vaart

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.
Philippians 2:17-18

The word rejoice is frequently used in Philippians. Though Paul is in prison, suffering, he rejoices, and he called on the Philippians to rejoice also. Though he is facing the prospect of death again he rejoices. He uses a strange expression, being poured out upon the sacrificial offering of your faith. In imitation of Christ, Paul was prepared for the possibility that his life would be poured out in his service to the Philippians (and others). He does so willingly. He does so knowing that his death is not the end of the story but places him in the presence of Jesus Christ for all eternity, which he has described as far better (1:23).

In a very real sense his self-sacrifice is placed alongside of the sacrifice of the Philippians as well. They had sent Epaphroditus to Paul. They’d sent him gifts of financial support. They prayed for him. Each act of self sacrifice is offered in view of Christ and His love. Each act of self-sacrifice though for the benefit of others, is offered in the power of the Holy Spirit, for the gathering of the people who belong to Jesus and this to the glory of God. Before the creation of the world, the Father declared He would choose sons and daughters in love through the sacrifice of Jesus. Whenever that promise of gathering in His people is fulfilled, in Paul, in Timothy, in Epaphroditus, in the life of the Philippian church, God is honoured and praised. He is doing precisely what He promised, through whatever means necessary.

No wonder Paul rejoices. Even at the point of hard service, at times when his life is being poured out and it costs all his strength to look past himself and serve others. The greatest sacrifice he might have to make, that of his own life in martyrdom, is honourable service to the Father in heaven. No sacrifice, no pouring out of himself would ever even touch the lowest rung of the heights of Jesus’s own self-sacrifice and His obedient love. Even so, Paul knew that walking in step with Jesus, being prepared to suffer for the Name of Jesus, that is the path of glory and greatest joy. All of us will die. The question at the end of life must be, for what did you die? Was it for your own glory, for yourself, to guard and hoard possessions you can’t take with you into eternity? Or, at the end of your life, can you survey the peaks and valleys of your life and declare, it is all for Jesus? Then what you have done goes with you to eternity to the honour and praise of God. No wonder Paul rejoices and calls on the Philippians to rejoice with him also.

Glorious Father in heaven, help me to count all things as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Spirit of God, for the sake of Jesus, strengthen me in my inner being so that at every instance where I suffer loss, even to the loss of all things, let me count it as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Amen.
Prayer based on Philippians 3:8-10

https://youtu.be/9zGbdg1YCYY?si=XiZt3jySKAk9z9Dr Afflicted Saint, to Christ Draw Near

Richard T. Vander Vaart

Richard T. Vander Vaart

Blog

Richard T. Vander Vaart

April 1, 2025 -- Mark 10:17-22 -- Dear friend and dear friend yet to be

March 30, 2025 -- Isaiah 58:13-14 -- The LORD's Day restored as delight

March 28, 2025 -- Philippians 3:12 -- To know Jesus

March 27, 2025 -- John 3:35-36 -- For God so loved the world. Now how will you respond?

March 26, 2025 -- II Corinthians 13:5-6 -- Examines yourselves to see whether are you in the faith

March 25, 2025 -- Micah 6:8 -- Walk Humbly with God

March 24, 2025 -- Philippians 3:8-11 -- Untitled

March 22, 2025 -- Luke 18:40b - 43a -- Pause. Ask. What is your greatest need?

March 21, 2025 -- Philippians 3:8 -- The surpassing worth of knowing Jesus

March 19, 2025 -- Philippians 3:1-7 -- Jesus is the Prize

March 18, 2025, reprint from one year ago -- Psalm 27:1-3 -- Three Pillars

March 17, 2025 -- Philippians 3:2-3 -- Look out for the dogs

March 15, 2025 -- Philippians 3:1 -- What is safe for you

March 13, 2025 -- Philippians 2:25-27 -- Sent in holy service

March 12, 2025 -- Luke 8:15 -- The Seed of the Word and Your Hearing Heart

March 11, 2025 -- Proverbs 11:5-8 -- Can you really tell the difference between the wicked and the righteous?

March 10, 2025 -- Philippians 2:8-11 -- Fall in worship

March 9, 2025 -- Philippians 2:25 -- Who is your Epaphroditus?

March 7, 2025 -- Philippians 2:19-24 -- I have no one like Jesus

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

March 4, 2025 -- Philippians 2:17-18 -- How do suffering and rejoicing mix?

Richard T. Vander Vaart

About the author